BALSAMIC BEEF ROAST FOR SLOW COOKING

Steps:

• In medium saucepan pour beef stock, bring to boil, keep boiling until reduced to about 1/2 cup guessing at 3 minutes as it really depends upon pan size and burner temperature. Add onion and garlic.
• Meanwhile, mix together black pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder; rub onto roast.
• Sprinkle flour onto both sides of meat and pat into meat--recently saw that technique is called SPANKING the meat--lol!
• Heat olive oil in high sided pan at moderate temperature, sear meat all over for about 8 minutes-take your time as this is when you get luscious drippings.
• While meat is browning, line crockpot.
• Put meat into crockpot, deglaze pan (about 1 minute) that meat was in with 1/4 cup water, scrape up those yummy drippings, reserve in pan for next step.
• Pour reduced beef stock with onion and garlic, balsamic vinegar, and rosemary into deglazed liquid; pour over meat.
• Cover crockpot, cook on low. For 3.5 pound roast, it will be done in about 5 hours, and for 3.25 pound roast it will take about 4 hours and 50 minutes. After removing meat, cover with foil and let rest while making gravy.
• If using shitake--About 15 minutes before removing roast, soak mushrooms in boiling water for 30 minutes, drain and discard liquid.
• Take liquid with onion from crockpot, and pour into large skillet, add the other cup beef stock, bring to boil, boil about 5 minutes, make slurry of flour and cold water, reduce burner to moderate temperature, stir slurry into hot liquid, and stir until lumps are out, strain if needed. Taste for salt.
• Put reserved mushrooms into gravy.
• Slice meat thin and add to gravy.
• If you are like me and make this ahead, I take it out of fridge about an hour beforehand, let it set at least 30 minutes to get to room temperature, then I add more beef stock to it as reheat it and am guessing at amount as I have not measured it.